Category: Shop News

Happy New Year!  January schedule is as follows:

Tuesdays – January 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31- 7 PM to 9 PM

Thursdays – January 5, 12, 19, and 26 – 7 PM to 9 PM

Sundays – January 8, 15, 22, and 29 – noon to 4 PM

Ultimate Tear-Down Party is tentatively on Friday, January 13 starting at 6 PM and going until whenever.  As soon as I get confirmation I will post here and on our Facebook page.  If you haven’t signed up to “like” us on Facebook, please do so.  I post brief updates there several times a week.

Work nights are scheduled for all Wednesdays in January between 6 PM and 9 PM.  Mike goes there to work.  Mechanics are free to join him, but if no one comes by 8, Mike closes up shop and goes home.

The bicycle count is at 670 given away.  270 were given away to kid bike charities, and 400 were repaired and given away through our shop.  That is a record year.  Our old record was 532 set in 2010.

Our wait list is around 35 people.  We want to clear it by the end of January and get bicycles repaired ahead so we are ready for the spring rush.  If you have mechanic skills, please come and help us fix bicycles.

Thanks to all the volunteers who helped us in December, both the regulars and our newcomers.  We had a big workload and couldn’t have finished all the Holiday Wishes bicycles without all of them.

We expect to get in one more batch of bicycles in the next week or so.  There will most likely be tear-downs, so we will need folks who like to take bicycles apart to help us get them processed.  You don’t have to be a bike mechanic to do this job, just be able to use basic hand tools.  This is a great way to learn about bicycles.  Information will be posted on the Facebook page when these bicycles arrive.

This has been an amazing year.  We broke even, broke our bicycle give-away record, and reached more people than ever.  2012 promises to be even more amazing.  You can be a part of it, just come to the shop.

We are about halfway through December and just about done with all the Holiday Wishes bicycles.  We will be making deliveries this weekend.  So far we have repaired and given away 366 bicycles, and gave an additional 270 (not repaired) to other charities, for a grand total of 636!  That is way beyond last year’s total of 532!  We still have a number of bicycles to give away yet this year, so the total will climb.  I don’t know if we can hit 700, but we will try.

We have two more Wednesday work nights this month – the 14th and 21st.  The fun starts at 6 PM and runs until about 9.  We just received a large gruppo of adult mountain bicycles that are pretty much ready to go, so tonight we will be test riding them and reassigning them to orders on our wait list.  We are making rapid progress on the wait list, which is down to 55.  We want to wipe it out by the end of January, and if we continue to get the volunteers we have been getting, we can do it.  Once the wait list is done, we will start building bicycles to be ready for the spring rush so we don’t get so far behind.

We plan to throw the biggest ever tear-down party in January.  We don’t have a date yet, but it will most likely be on a Friday night at the Maplewood Free Bikes 4 Kidz site.  They have well over 100 bicycles to tear down.  We will be harvesting parts and providing stripped metal that FB4K can sell to raise money for their cause.  Here is a chance to help two bike charities with just one effort!  I’ll post the deets as soon as I have it arranged.

Huge thanks to our volunteers for all the great work at getting bicycles ready to give away.  We can’t do it without you.

The December schedule is as follows:

Sundays – December 4 and 18 – noon to 4 PM (closed December 11 and 25)

Tuesdays – December 6, 13, 20, and 27 – 7 PM to 9 PM

Thursdays – December 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29 – 7 PM to 9 PM

The current bicycle count stands at 353.  That is just bicycles given away that were repaired at our store.  We also have given away 270 children’s bicycles to two different charities.  We are currently working on bicycles for the United Way Holiday Wishes Program.  There is a family with 7 children who lost everything in a fire, so we are providing 9 bicycles.  If you want to help repair these bicycles, just come by the shop during any time that we are open.  Also, we still have around 70 people on our wait list, so we can use help.

Wednesday work nights for December are the 7th, 14th, and 21st.  We don’t know yet about the 28th.  Wednesday work night times are from 6 PM until 8 PM (or later).  If no one arrives by 8 PM, Mike will finish the work and close up, so if you wish to work on a Wednesday you must arrive prior to 8 PM.  Go to the back door, as the store is not open to the public on Wednesdays.

We received a lot of new parts, including a Campagnolo Nuovo Record rear derailleur, some sew-up wheels with Campy hubs, and some nice road handlebars.  Come by and check out the stash.  The good stuff goes fast, so don’t wait.  We also have some of the Free-Wheelin’ Candle Holders for sale – they are $10 each.  These look great on your holiday table, or make a great gift for the cycling enthusiast who has just about everything else.  As always, all proceeds from sales goes toward keeping the store open.

Welcome to our new volunteer mechanic, Marie.  She helps Mr. Michael hold down the fort on Sundays.  We still get frequent visits from Bob H. and the Gas Man, typically on Tuesday nights.  A couple of other new folks have been in once or twice.  If they become regulars, I’ll give them a shout out here.

Be sure to “Like” our Facebook page, Mr. Michael Recycles Bicycles.

To you and yours, we wish you a very blessed and Merry Christmas!

November hours are as follows:

Tuesdays – November 1, 8, 22, and 29 – 7 PM to 9 PM (closed November 15)

Thursdays – November 3 and 10 – 7 PM to 9 PM (closed November 17 and 24)

Sundays – November 6, 20, and 27 – Noon to 4 PM (closed November 13)

Saturday, November 26 – annual BLITZ! to benefit the United Way Holiday Wishes Program – 10 AM to 6 PM

The bicycle give-away count is up to 329, not including the 170 we gave to the Bob Burbach Free To Bike Foundation and the 100 we gave to Free Bikes 4 Kidz.  We are also working on an exciting new program to provide bicycle mechanic training to teenage girls.  Most of the youth bike programs attract boys, so we decided to reach out to girls in transition.  If the program goes as planned, each trainee upon competing mechanic training will then get the chance to volunteer at the store and gain real-world job experience.  Upon successful completion of the internship, the intern will be eligible for a letter of recommendation to use when looking for work.  We hope to launch this in January.

We still have around 90 people on the wait list to get bicycles.  The calls are still coming in.  We don’t want to turn anyone away, but at this rate we won’t have any time to build bicycles ahead for the spring rush, which means that the delays will be even longer next year.  We need mechanics.  The volunteers we have are doing a fantastic job, but the list is just too long for this small group to keep up.  Even if you can only repair one or two bicycles a month, we need you.  If you have a shop at home, we can arrange for you to take a bike home to repair, then bring it back and get another one.  If ten people did two bicycles per month, half our wait list would be wiped out by the end of the year, and we would be caught up by the end of January, giving us a few weeks to build bikes for the spring rush.

To our current volunteers, thank you.  We couldn’t do this without each of you.

The October schedule for MMRB is as follows:

Sundays – October 2, 9, 16, and 30 – Noon to 4 PM (Closed on Oct 23)

Tuesdays – October 4, 11, 18, and 25 – 7 PM to 9 PM

Thursdays – October 6, 13, 20, and 27 – 7 PM to 9 PM

Work Night Wednesdays on October 19 and 26.  Fun starts at 6 PM.  If no one else shows up, Mike leaves at 8, otherwise he stays until 9-ish.

Saturday, October 1 is Coon Rapids Recycling Day.  Saturday, October 8 is Fridley Recycling Day.  We can use a volunteer up at Fridley to help Mr. Michael with the stuff that comes in.  If interested let me know.

The bicycle count is up to 287.  The wait list is at around 96.  We need mechanics.  Even if you can only fix one bicycle per month, we still can use your talents.  The need for bicycles is so great.  We also can use help with de-cluttering the shop, sorting parts, and other odd jobs at the shop, so even if you are not a mechanic there is still something you can do.  Without our volunteers we couldn’t keep the place going.

We have lots of bicycles to sell.  If you have been looking for a winter beater or project bike, now is the time to buy.  We have a lot of cheap bicycles out in the sales garage that need good homes.  No reasonable offer will be refused.  As always, proceeds go toward shop expenses.  We don’t take a salary and intend to keep it that way.

Stop by and see us soon.

We are canceling our work night originally scheduled for Wednesday, September 7.  All other September Wednesday Work Nights are still on.  Hope you can help us out at least once this month.

September schedule is as follows:

Tuesdays – September 6, 13, 20, and 27 – 7 PM to 9 PM

Thursdays – September 8, 15, 22, and 29 – 7 PM to 9 PM

Sunday, September 4 – noon until 4 PM

Sunday, September 11 – 2 PM until 5 PM

Closed Sunday, September 18 and Sunday, September 25

We will have an information table at the St. Paul Classic Bike Tour on September 11.  Stop by to say Hi.

Also, we have work nights most Wednesdays between 6 PM and 9 PM.  Check our Facebook page to be sure that we will be there before coming to help.  The store is not open for sales, but volunteer mechanics and others who wish to tear down bicycles or sort parts are most welcome.

The bicycle count is approaching 240.  Tom Lindstrom has given away a number of bicycles to Chinese students at U of M, and we keep on getting them out the door.  Our wait list is still over 100, although new requests have slowed down slightly.  People who put their names on our list won’t get bicycles until late January or early February unless more mechanics volunteer to help out.  Please consider joining us any time that the store is open, or on Wednesday evenings.

Our September recycling event is at Andover on September 10.  We can use help at the site and at the shop unloading.  Contact me at 651-641-1037 if you are interested in working.  On-site volunteers help with tear-downs and loading, shop volunteers will help unload the bicycles and put them away in the garages.  We will be at the Andover Public Works garage beginning around 8:30 AM on the 10th and work until 3 PM.  We will be at the shop around 4 PM to unload and it usually takes about an hour.  Free beer at the shop for volunteers.

We could never do all this alone.  Thanks to everyone who volunteers, and to those who buy our stuff.  That’s how we pay the rent and keep on giving away bicycles.  We hope to see you soon at the shop.

Sunday, August 7, the shop will be open from noon until 3 PM.  We need to leave early to attend a wedding.  Thanks for your understanding.

Shop hours for August are:

Tuesdays – August 2, 9, 16, and 30 – 7 PM to 9 PM  (closed August 23)

Thursdays – August 4, 11, 18, and 25 – 7 PM to 9 PM

Sundays – August 7, 14, 21, and 28 – Noon to 4 PM

On Saturday, August 13, we will clean out the big garage.  Come around 10 AM, we will work until 3 or 4, or whenever we get tired, or whatever.  Free beer for helpers, maybe even food.

On Saturday, August 20, we will have a Blitz to repair as many bicycles as we can in one afternoon.  We will start the fun at Noon and go until 5 or 6 PM.  Free food and beer for volunteers.  Come anyway, even if you are not a mechanic, because we will have bicycles to tear down and parts to sort.  We always have a good time at these events, so join us.

The bicycle give-away count is up to 189 so far this year.  We are currently in the black financially, and our wait list is still around 100 people.  We always need mechanics any time that the shop is open.  We also have reopened our list, because we felt that God was leading us to.  We really didn’t want to close the list, but we thought we needed to in order to get caught up.  However, that was us doing the planning rather than allowing the Almighty to have His way, so we are trusting that He will send us more mechanics so we can get the list caught up.  At our current level of help, the people who are getting on the list now won’t receive bicycles until sometime in November.  The more help we have, the shorter the wait.  Please consider helping us repair bicycles to give away.

We have three more classes scheduled for this year for Downtown Congregations to End Homelessness.  We can have up to 6 people in a class, but typically only 3 show up.  The bicycle supply for this program is adequate, but they (as well as us) always need more bicycles to fit tall men.  If you have any tall men’s bicycles to spare, please consider bringing them to us as we have lots of big guys who need them.

Our vacation was great.  We went to Indiana so I could compete in the National Speed Skating Championships and also had the chance to visit our son and his family.  We got to go to church with the family, and I won 6 silver medals!  We also stopped on the way back to visit with Mike’s father and to buy his pickup truck to replace my car that doesn’t want to run anymore.

That’s it for now.  If you have never been to the shop, please stop by and say hello.

Due to the overwhelming demand, we are closing our wait list until further notice.  Based on the current level of volunteer mechanic hours, we won’t finish all of the requests on our list until late in October.  Many people who get bicycles from us do not use them in cold weather.  If it is cold or snowy, many people do not come to pick up their bicycles.  Also, many people who wait more than 60 days for a bicycle have moved and/or changed their telephone numbers, and we cannot find them when we try to contact them to come and get their bicycles.  We want to use the winter months to build bicycles ahead so that when the spring rush hits we can handle the initial requests from inventory.  This is a difficult decision, but one I feel is in the best interest of everyone.  If we get enough volunteer mechanic help, we may be able to open the list again in September, so please, if you can fix bicycles, we need the help.  Thanks.